It came out of the blue.
Late last week, Lance Jacobson, the mayor of Swan River, announced the immediate resignation of Councillor Tracy Boychuk. Elected in 2022, she was serving her first term on the Council. During her time in office, Tracy was the chair of the Recreation and Cultural Services Committee, where she led many initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of life for residents.
CKDM News caught up with Lance to get his thoughts on the departure.
"Councillor Boychuk was an outstanding person. She did her work very well, was dedicated, and looked out for the best interests of residents," said Jacobson. "She did an excellent job of representing the people and voicing people's concerns. I do thank her for the time she spent with us. It was a breath of fresh air."
A by-election will fill the void in the coming months.
"We're looking at the best dates. We have not decided yet, but we will in the next few weeks," continued Jacobson. "We definitely need to fill the vacancy, it will not be left vacant."
During her tenure, Boychuk was a strong and vocal advocate for the development of a new arena to replace the Swan River Centennial Arena. Talks about a new arena have been ongoing for years and continue.
"We're in the early stages. We're applying for grants. The Swan River Legacy Committee has been set up," said Jacobson. "We're also working with potential partnerships with our municipal neighbours."
Compared with other arenas around the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, the Centennial is one of the smallest. The ice surface is not regulation, and the capacity is smaller than that in other communities. Jacobson said there have been talks for the arena to be of a similar size. There has also been talk about a second floor.
While there is no timeline on the project, Jacobson says there is a lot of buzz in the Swan River air.
"You add in the big hotel that will be built in Swan River," ended Jacobson. "The potential arena. And other initiatives that we are working on right now. It's exciting, it's a good thing."
With Boychuk gone, the focus now turns to what’s next — and in Swan River, the possibilities are growing.
